The Cosmic Computer · Chapter
The Trial of Intentions explained
Conn Maxwell faces a tense confrontation with Kurt Fawzi and the Merlin-hunting committee, who accuse him and his father of abandoning the search for Merlin.
What happens
Conn Maxwell faces a tense confrontation with Kurt Fawzi and the Merlin-hunting committee, who accuse him and his father of abandoning the search for Merlin. Conn defends their focus on building a hypership to restore economic prosperity, arguing that tools are needed before answers. The group then travels to Force Command, where they encounter Carl Leibert, a charismatic clergyman who claims Merlin can reveal a new religion. Conn grows uneasy, recognizing Leibert from somewhere and fearing the fanaticism that could arise from a Merlin-based faith.
Themes in this chapter
Faith and Credulity
The Merlin hunters' blind faith in the computer's power is contrasted with Leibert's religious fervor, highlighting the dangers of credulity.
Deception and Leadership
Conn suspects Leibert of being a fraud, while Zareff believes he is a deliberate deceiver working for Murchison; the chapter explores how leaders manipulate belief.
Economic Decline and Revival
Conn argues that finding Merlin is secondary to building ships for trade, emphasizing practical economic revival over mystical solutions.
Characters to notice
- Conn Maxwell
Defends his father's shipbuilding project against accusations of abandoning the Merlin search; feels growing unease about Leibert's fanaticism and the potential for religious conflict.
- Kurt Fawzi
Accuses Conn and Rodney Maxwell of hindering the Merlin search; frustrated by the lack of progress at Force Command.
- Carl Leibert
A clergyman who claims Merlin can reveal a new religion; Conn suspects he is a fraud and recognizes him from somewhere.
- Colonel Klem Zareff
Suspicious of Leibert, believing he is working for Sam Murchison to hide Merlin; supports Conn's contributions.
- Judge Ledue
Suggests Merlin could create a perfect legal system; defends Conn and calls for an apology from Fawzi.
- Professor Dolf Kellton
Gently defends Conn and expresses hope that Merlin can answer unanswerable questions.
Key passages
“Anybody who could build a computer of the sort he thought Merlin was wouldn’t need it, he would be God.”
Conn reflects that if someone could create a computer as powerful as Leibert imagines Merlin to be, they would already possess godlike abilities.
Conn's skepticism about Leibert's grandiose view of Merlin.
“If we want prosperity, we need tools. Our problem is loss of markets. If we find Merlin, and tape it with everything that’s happened in the forty years since it was shut down, Merlin will tell us where to find new markets. But the markets won’t come to us. We’ll have to do our own exporting, and we’ll need ships.”
Conn explains that economic revival requires practical tools like ships for trade, not just the theoretical knowledge Merlin might provide.
Conn's pragmatic argument for building a hypership over searching for Merlin.
“A new religion, based on Merlin; that would be good. And then the fanatics who thought Merlin was the Devil would start a holy war to wipe out the servants of Satan, and with all the combat equipment that was lying around on this planet… For the first time since this business started, he began to feel really frightened.”
Conn fears that Leibert's idea of a Merlin-based religion could spark a violent conflict with anti-Merlin fanatics, given the abundance of weapons on the planet.
Conn's growing dread about the potential for religious warfare.
